Profitable withdrawl: 5 notable Stanley Cup hangovers in NHL historical past

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Profitable the Stanley Cup is tough sufficient, however residing as much as the stress the following season? That is even tougher. Here is 5 of the most important Stanley Cup hangovers in NHL historical past.Alex Ovechkin|Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesRemember the events the Washington Capitals took half in final summer time after profitable the Stanley Cup for the primary time in franchise historical past? Yeah, now the hangover half is beginning to kick in.
On Wednesday, the Capitals had been eradicated within the first spherical by the Carolina Hurricanes in double-overtime of Recreation 7, turning into the primary defending champion to get eradicated within the first spherical because the Chicago Blackhawks bowed out early in 2016. It was removed from a nasty season for the Caps, ending first in a good Metropolitan Division with 104 factors, however for a group that didn’t present any indicators of slowing down all through the common season, Washington hit a wall early within the post-season towards a group that solely narrowly squeaked right into a wild-card spot.
The stress is at all times on to repeat as champions, however solely the Pittsburgh Penguins have gained back-to-back titles – the 2015 and 2016 crowns – because the league hit 30 groups. Nonetheless, only a few groups go on to have an early playoff exit, or miss the post-season altogether, the next season. With that in thoughts, let’s take a look at among the most notable Stanley Cup hangovers in NHL historical past:
Toronto Maple Leafs, 1967-68Let’s get the low-hanging fruit out of the way in which: sure, it’s been a 52-year Cup drought for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs had been the final group to win the Cup throughout the Authentic Six period, beating Chicago and Montreal on the way in which to a 13th league title. The Leafs had 75 factors that season because of a 32-27-11 file and bested it the next marketing campaign. The distinction? There have been now 12 groups within the league, and whereas Toronto’s 76 factors might need been sufficient to make the post-season within the West Division (the group with the six growth golf equipment), it wasn’t sufficient to beat Chicago’s 80 for the ultimate spot within the east. In fact, Toronto has but to win the Cup since, however in the event you ask followers right now, the Leafs are a real contender once more today – that’s, if the Boston Bruins aren’t concerned within the playoffs. Toronto goes to want to hurry up, although: they’re 12 years away from turning into the one lively franchise to win the Stanley Cup and never have their title on the trophy anymore.
New Jersey Devils, 1995-96The New Jersey Devils and Detroit Pink Wings had been two of essentially the most dominant franchises within the 1990s, battling it out within the 1995 Cup ultimate. The 1994-95 season was shortened attributable to a lockout and New Jersey completed with a 22-18-Eight file throughout the common season in a weak Atlantic Division. The Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup with a roster consisting of Stephane Richer, Neal Broten, Claude Lemieux, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur. They Devils swept the Pink Wings within the ultimate, too, giving the New Jersey momentum heading into the 1995-96 season. So, how did the 2 finalists fare the following season? Detroit broke the all-time file for normal season wins with 62 (the Tampa Bay Lightning tied the file this season) earlier than dropping to the eventual Cup champion Colorado Avalanche within the Western Convention ultimate. New Jersey missed the playoffs by two factors.
Detroit Pink Wings, 2002-03Talking of Detroit, the Pink Wings had been unstoppable in 2001-02, going 51-17-10-Four with 116 factors earlier than defeating Carolina in 5 video games within the ultimate. Not like the remainder of the groups on this record, the Pink Wings really made the playoffs the next season, ending with 110 factors and had been favorites for the Cup as soon as once more because the Western Convention’s second seed. The Pink Wings met up with the Mighty Geese of Anaheim within the opening spherical, although, and had been brick-walled by Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in a dropping effort the Devils within the ultimate. It was a shock seeing the defending champions get swept within the opening spherical, particularly because the Pink Wings gained three of the 4 conferences between the 2 groups throughout the common season.
Carolina Hurricanes, 2006-07Carolina’s big run this season is simply the group’s second post-season look since they took dwelling Lord Stanley’s prize in 2006. Led by rookie goaltender Cam Ward, the Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in an exhilarating Recreation 7 to win the Cup. The Hurricanes’ historic season did wonders in serving to develop the game domestically within the brief time period, however they adopted their first championship with a dismal 88-point marketing campaign in 2006-07, lacking the playoffs by 4 factors. With a lot of the identical core, the Hurricanes made the playoffs once more in 2009, however didn’t play within the spring once more till this season, with the group presently within the midst of its second-round collection towards the New York Islanders.
Los Angeles Kings, 2014-15A dominant efficiency by Jonathan Fast throughout the 2012 ultimate, adopted up by magical efforts by Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams and Jeff Carter two years later, helped give the Los Angeles Kings two Stanley Cups in three seasons. However because the Kings fell flat on their faces as they eyed up one other lengthy playoff run in 2014-15. Off-ice drama and the next threshold to make the playoffs – the Dallas Stars made the playoffs with 91 factors in 2014, whereas Winnipeg took the ultimate wild-card spot with 99 the next yr – received in the way in which because the Kings’ 95 factors, the identical quantity they complied earlier than their 2012 Cup win, wasn’t sufficient to ebook them a ticket to the dance. Los Angeles hasn’t gained a playoff collection and has solely gained on playoff sport since their 2014 Stanley Cup run, lacking the post-season in three of the previous 5 years.
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Tags: carolina hurricanes, detroit purple wings, lists, l. a. kings, new jersey devils, toronto maple leafs, washington capitalsConnect: Concerning the AuthorSteven EllisSteven Ellis is a Digital Content material Producer for The Hockey Information. He spends his free time listening to music you would not like and watches obnoxiously-long motor races.